A Rangers Journey
by cphxcballer
Summary: The sun peeks over the mountains, declaring to the forest below that morning has arrived. The suns rays cast dancing shadows upon the green canopy, generating a light mist as the morning dew begins to evaporate. Amongst the sounds of the forests birds and beasts awakening, a small village also begins to rise. And one peculiar soul begins to stir, unaware of how late the hour is.


His eyes opened slowly, yawning loudly Vitus sat up from his bed. The interior of his small house greeted him. It's sparsely decorated walls stared blankly at him and a dim light peeked through from underneath the wooden door on the opposite side of the room. Vitus figured that it was probably around noontime as he stepped outside, the dim light that poked through the forest canopy told him that much. He looked around, he saw everyone going about their business, people moving here and there, he saw Elias waving to him as Vitus moved to join him.

Elias was a short young man, just entering his 20's. He had a clean shaven face which sported a long scar across his cheek and a frown that could silence the town crier. Standing at around 5ft 9in he often had to look up to address those around him. He had well-toned muscles and skin that sported a caramel color from constant work outside.

"I hope you have rested well brother, given the hour in which you rose," Elias said. Vitus opened his mouth to reply but Elias continued

"Never mind that, we have work to do," He said and led the way towards the edge of the clan borders.

The day always started like this, foraging for herbs, then after returning what they had gathered they would go out again to hunt. Elias and Vitus conversed as they searched the forest floor for the plants they needed.

"Are you excited for the ceremony today," Elias asked, Vitus shook his head which caught a quizzical look from Elias.

"Why, have you not been waiting your entire life for this moment, what better honor than becoming a ranger," Elias said as he reached for the stem of a bright green plant.

"You are aware of the dangers, you would not only be fighting a pointless battle but you could get lost and never find your way back home," Vitus countered as he picked the leaves off of a light brown colored plant and placed them in his satchel, they had had this argument many times before.

"Fine then, what will you do, live your life in the rut of the clan, have you not wanted to see the world outside," but Vitus gave no response, cutting the conversation short.

A few minutes passed by in silence when both of them decided that they had collected enough herbs. They returned to the settlement of the ranger clan Detius. They were headed to the storehouse where they would turn in the fruits of their labor.

Then they were back out in the wilderness once again, armed with short bows and hunting knives, there was no conversation to be had here, not if they wanted to bring any game back. The shortbows that they were holding were not designed for the large game and more intended for hunting squirrels, rabbits, and other smaller prey. These were much easier to transport than a three hundred pound elk. Elias held up a hand, the signal that he had spotted something.

Vitus looked over his shoulder, it wasn't long before he spotted it as well. Near a cluster of bushes sat three rabbits, nibbling at the vegetation. Elias drew an arrow from his quiver, they were nothing special. Little more than wooden arrowheads that had been hardened in a fire and simple feather shafts that allowed them to fly to some resemblance of straight. Vitus took a similar arrow from his own quiver, nocking the end onto the bowstring he drew back. The weaved wooden fibers that made up the bow creaked slightly as he felt the soft fletching touch his cheek.

He heard the loud _twang _as he saw Elias's arrow streak towards one of the rabbits, it thudded just to the left of them and they took off. Sprinting in several directions and Vitus trailed one. Aiming a good distance ahead, Vitus let the arrow fly. He felt the bow vibrate as the arrow whistled towards one of the rabbits. He heard a soft thud as one of them stopped dead in their tracks, a white shafted arrow protruded from its small body. Vitus rose from his crouched position and shot an annoyed look at Elias, gesturing towards the other arrow, buried in the soft earth where the rabbits had been.

Elias looked up at his brother, anger was in his eyes as he stomped towards the bushes to retrieve his arrow. Vitus groaned as he drew his hunting knife and moved to the dead rabbit that lay prone in the short undergrowth. Vitus crouched next to it and after a brief prayer to the gods, he placed the rabbit's limp body in his satchel.

"Do you smell that," Vitus sniffed the air lightly. The light stench of smoke filled his nostrils

"Yes, but where could it be coming from," Elias asked.

"It smells like it is coming from the village." Vitus stood from his crouched position in the bushes and looked through the thick canopy for the smoke. He could almost catch a dark trail billowing up into the cloudy air.

"Come quickly, we must return," Vitus said

He and Elias dashed through the forest, heading back the way they had come, they cared no longer for stealth, they sprinted through the undergrowth, thorns tearing away at their clothes as they pushed branches and vines alike out of their way as they ran. They burst through the tree line, panting heavily as they looked for signs of danger.

They saw nothing out of the ordinary, all was quiet as Vitus and Elias looked at each other in confusion. Something felt wrong, Vitus could feel it as he walked past the small one-room houses heading for the center of the small settlement. It was too quiet, not the chirps of the birds or the quiet chatter of the villagers as they went about their tasks. Then something shattered through the silence, the shrill cry of a war horn split through the air.

The villagers turned in shock to see several figures emerge from the forest that surrounded the village on every side. Orcs, they charged through the main street brandishing jagged swords and axes as they hacked down the villagers. They were converging on the town center, several carrying torches. Their pale bone armor and their towering stature set them apart easily enough. They howled great thundering war cries as they charged through the village slashing and roaring as villagers fell to the hard-packed ground, unmoving. Vitus turned to Elias who returned his gaze they both nodded in unison, they sprinted off in different directions. Each headed for their home, Vitus reached the wooden door of his dwelling. He reached for the handle as he threw the flimsy wooden door open and dashed inside. He returned a few moments later holding his most prized possession.

A longbow, made from interwoven ebony fibers that molded into a beautiful design, the nature of the spring back capabilities of ebony allowed for incredibly powerful shots with great accuracy, as well as the recurve design for the maximum force in each shot. Vitus had made it himself over the years, collecting the perfect fibers until finally, it was complete. Over his shoulder was a dark leather quiver, filled to the brim with 40 heavy iron arrows. Vitus reached over his shoulder and felt the soft quail fletching as he drew the arrow from the quiver. He nocked the end of it on the bowstring and drew back, he saw an orc bearing a greatsword charging headlong towards the center of town where the villagers began to gather. He trained the arrow on him and released, feeling the soft thrum as the arrow flew towards the orc.

He watched the shaft streak through the air for a short time before burying itself into the orcs chest, the unexpected impact from the shot had enough force to send the hulking beast flying onto it's back as it lay there dead. Vitus was not watching however as he already was drawing another arrow. He fired again and watched another orc hit the ground. As Vitus reached for a third arrow he saw Elias emerge from his home, armed and ready.

Elias carried a longsword in one hand and a short sword in the other, he dashed to the town center brandishing his weapons as he watched several orcs circle around him. He gave ground as they began to close in brandishing swords, axes and one even held a great warhammer. Vitus saw this and loosed an arrow into the small group, watching as one orc thudded into the hard packed dirt. It was not long before he had another arrow on the way and it thudded into an orcs armored shoulder, roaring in pain it reached for the shaft, snapping the arrow near the barbed head. Elias saw his chance, brandishing both of his weapons he darted forward sinking his longsword into an orcs side. It bellowed in pain as Elias slashed his short sword across it's neck and it fell to the ground, gurgling it's last breath.

Elias withdrew his blade and spun around to face the other orcs, he could barely parry the war axe that was bound for his head in time. His longsword was caught in the gap between the bottom of the axe blade and the handle, Elias slashed at the orc with his short sword, he couldn't finish the movement before he felt the orcs meaty hand grab his wrist. In a panic he tried to wrench his longsword sword free, however, the brutishly strong orc held him fast, and his blade did not budge.

Vitus watched Elias grapple with the orc, with it holding his arm which grasped the short sword, holding it's razor-sharp tip from its throat while Elias tried desperately to free his blade from the axe. Elias was losing, he did not nearly have the muscle to go toe to toe with an opponent of this stature, that orc had to have at least 40 pounds on him. Vitus lined up his shot, doubt crept into his mind as the orc seemed to get smaller and smaller. 'What if I miss' 'What if I hit Elias instead' 'What if-' The thought was cut short when Elias, with a mighty heave, wrenched his blade free from the axe and plunged it into the heart of the orc. It let out a brief roar before collapsing onto the ground, now silent. Vitus let out a quivering sigh of relief as he released the tension on his arrow.

The shrill cry of a villager brought Vitus's attention to the opposite street, he watched as an orc raised a gigantic battleaxe from a still corpse. He saw another orc, its eyes glared with excitement as he smashed a warhammer into the back of a fleeing villager, the ear-splitting sound of his spine cracking filled Vitus's ears. His eyes went wide as he saw the villager fall to the ground convulsing before a second blow from the hammer silenced him. Vitus reeled when he felt hands on his shoulders, a woman faced him, her eyes were wide with fear and shock. She was shouting something, but all Vitus heard was a high pitched mumbling. Her terrified face was frozen still as a jagged blade suddenly sprouted from her chest and the towering figure of an orc stood behind her.

Vitus watched in horror as she sank to the ground, her face rapidly turning pale as her head slammed against the dirt. The dull thud reverberated inside of Vitus's head like someone had struck a gong in his brain. It echoed over and over and over.

Elias ducked, he heard the whistle of the orc's battleaxe whizz overhead, using this opening Elias lunged upwards, plunging his sword into the belly of the orc he continued the motion until the point poked out of the its back. He kicked the now limp body from his blade and whirled around, he saw Vitus, staring blankly at an orc that loomed over him, a jagged and bloody sword raised high in the air, a crooked fanged smile spread across the orcs face. Elias looked at the small group of villagers, clustered and quivering behind him as the orcs circled around them snarling and baring their weapons. Elias looked at Vitus, staring blank-eyed as an orc raised his blade to strike him down. The only family that he had left, about to be so swiftly taken from him. Elias turned and looked at the small crowd of villagers that huddled behind him, could he just leave them, he had to protect them if the clan was to survive. He looked at Vitus, then at the quivering villagers and his decision was made.

He charged from the square, ramming the gigantic orc with his full body weight as it had begun the downward strike. It did little more than stumble the hulking creature. Elias was forced on the defensive as their swords clanged and swished through the smokey air.

Vitus shook his head, and the world returned to normal, he saw Elias battling with a gigantic orc, engaged in a losing battle with the massively strong beast. Vitus swiftly reached for an arrow and nocked it onto the string. As he began to draw back he took aim at the orcs bare and muscular back. Just as he released the shot he heard something, the ear-splitting sound of an explosion shattered the air around him. Vitus turned just in time to see a flaming pile of rubble crash into him, throwing him to the ground and pinning him there. The world began to darken and Vitus began to taste hot blood in his mouth as he let out a soft moan.

*This is the first chapter of a personal project that I have been working on for a while, its loosely based on Lord of the Rings lore but with a vanilla world with it's own creatures and lore. Comments are always highly appreciated as any writer worth his/her salt always looks for criticism and critique at all times (good or bad). Thank you for reading and more chapters to follow soon.


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